Thales UK, in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), has conducted successful back-to-back firings of the Lightweight Multi-role Missile (LMM) against air and sea targets.  

The recent firing event is said to have marked a significant milestone by showcasing the weapon’s capabilities in both air defence and surface attack. 

The LMM, a versatile and precision-guided missile, is designed to engage a variety of threats such as armoured personnel carriers, fast in-shore attack crafts, and uncrewed aerial systems.  

Its precision laser guidance system minimises collateral damage, making it suitable for urban warfare. 

With a speed of Mach 1.5 and a range exceeding 6km, the LMM features a triple effect warhead and proximity fuse.  

The company states that LMM set a new standard in short-range defence by neutralising both an aerial drone (Banshee UAV) and a sea-based target (fast inshore attack craft) with two missiles launched in less than a minute. 

During testing, the missile was launched from a vehicle-mounted, lightweight fire control and launching system developed by Thales in the UK.  

The test also received support from the British Army and Royal Navy, which presented various static equipment, including shoulder and tripod launchers, and a Wildcat helicopter equipped to carry 20 LMMs, referred to as Martlet in naval operations. 

Separately, Thales Australia announced that the Albanese Government's plan to invest A$100m ($62m) in the production of an additional 44 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles (PMVs) at the Thales Protected Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Bendigo, Australia.  

This investment is part of a larger A$300m commitment to defence by the Albanese Government.  

The new Bushmasters will serve the Australian Army's second long-range fires regiment at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in South Australia, within the 10th Fires Brigade.  

More than 1300 Bushmaster vehicles have been produced in Bendigo, with exports made to eight countries.